How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

As a nurse I heard about it in the medical community. I always thought no way would I do that. THen my sister had it done and I saw how well she did with it and the changes in her and decided that i needed to give it a try .

Describe your experience with getting insurance approval for surgery. What advice, if any, do you have for other people in this stage?

I had no problems what so ever getting approval and for that I am truly grateful.

What was your first visit with your surgeon like? How can people get the most out of this meeting?

I had to go to a 3 hour seminar that morning and then met with the surgeon that afternoon. I honestly wasnt that impressed with him, he spent little time (maybe 10 min) with me and explained very little to me. As for getting the most out of it, know what questions you want answered and ask them, keep the doctor there until you are satisfied with the answers.

What made you finally decide to have the surgery?

It was just time in my head, I knew I had to do something before many health issues set in and i knew this was the only way to lose the weight that i needed to.

How did you decide which proceedure to have?

RESEARCH

What fears did you have about having complications or even dying from from the surgery, and what would you tell other people having the same fears now?

Well the first date I had, I was terrified, I had a bad feeling something was going to go wrong. I went as far as telling my family what my wishes were should something go wrong. With the second and final date I was totally at peace about what was going to happen. All I can say is make sure this is what you want, it is a major lifestyle change and it isnt for everyone.

How did your family and friends react to your decision? Would you have communicated anything differently if you could now? How supportive were they after your surgery?

Everyone was very supportive of me.

How did your employer/supervisor react to your decision? What did you tell him/her? How long were you out of work?

I told them what procedure I was having done and everyone on my unit was very supportive of me, it was great. I was off for 6 weeks, and I think I came back a little to soon.

What was your stay in the hospital like? How long where you there? What things are most important to bring?

The hospital stay was good I had no problems. I had surgery on Wedensday and went home on Friday. Bring sugar free candy to suck on something to read and soap and shampoo from home

Did you have any complications from the surgery? If so, how did you deal with them?

The only problem I had was about 3 months post op where I was having sever abdominal pain, apparently I had pulled some of the internal sutures and the tissue swelled and became inflamed.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

I felt great, I really didnt have any anxiety

Describe your first few weeks home from the hospital. What should people expect from this period?

It was good, I had lots of support from my family. The first few weeks you are on a liquid diet, so that is kinda tough, gotta find what you can and cant tolerate to drink and it is also tough to find the protien drinks that you can tolerate. Expect a lot of rest, know that you must rest for you body to heal but you must do your walking as well.

How far did you travel to have your surgery? (If far, how did this affect your aftercare?)

No travel

Please describe in detail what things you could and couldn't eat in the weeks and months following surgery. What foods have been off limits? Please explain how your dietary tolerance changed week-by-week, and then month-by-month since surgery.

The first weeks it is liquids then you move to soft foods and then after 6 weeks you can go to real food. I found that i couldnt eat rice until recently (6 months). I learned that after about 4 weeks drinking the protien shakes, that I couldnt tolerate them anymore as they make me nauseaous. Your taste changes fairly often. I find myself craving spicy foods one week and the next week I want chicken.

What was your actvity level in the days and weeks after surgery?

I was up and about the day after surgery. I was walking the hallways at the hospital before i was discharged.

What vitamins and/or dietary supplements have you taken since your surgery?

I take a multi vitamin twice a day and eat protien bars

What side effects (nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbace, dumping, hair loss etc.) were worse for you? For how long after surgery did they persist? How did you cope with them?

Hair loss has been the worst thing for me, i have thinned out tremendously. I am 6 months out and am still having the problem

What was the worst part about the entire bariatric surgery process?

The pre op requirements.

What aftercare support group/program do you have? How helpful/important is this?

NOne

What is your scar like? Is this what you expected?

I had mine done hand assisted lap so i have one scar that is approx 4 inches, two that are approx 1 inch and a small puncture site.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

None as of yet

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

Not really